Marineford, within Marine Headquarters, two completely different reports were placed on Sengoku's desk.
One came from the Sabaody Archipelago. According to the report, due to Fishman Island, more than a dozen pirate crews were currently stranded there, and the number was still increasing.
The stationed forces at Sabaody Archipelago were requesting reinforcements from headquarters in preparation for potential emergencies.
The other report came from the G1 and G5 branch. Also because of Fishman Island, the workload of these two branches near the Red Line had been cut in half. No pirates could make it from the first half of the Grand Line into the New World.
However, they also reported a peculiar situation: in the New World, quite a few pirate crews seemed to have formed temporary alliances, though their motives were still unclear.
The number of pirates returning from the New World to the first half of the Grand Line was relatively small, but not nonexistent. These pirates were likewise blocked by Fishman Island, leaving them wandering nearby while waiting for news.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, these stranded pirates seem to be showing signs of forming alliances. What should we do?"
"Keep the surveillance ships watching them. They're all small fry, they won't stir up much trouble. Before the big players make a move, none of this matters."
The Marines chose not to take the initiative and instead continued to observe for the time being. Meanwhile, atop the Red Line, the Five Elders had also taken notice of this situation.
"Fishman Island's sea ban… how long has it been in effect?"
"Since it was officially implemented, it's been over twenty days. He has the capability to do this. In fact, I think it wouldn't be bad if it continued like this. During this time, cargo traffic across the Red Line has increased.
That's all tax revenue."
As the Warrior God of Finance, Nusjuro still fulfilled his duties. At least from the perspective of transit tariffs, this was a good thing for them.
"For someone like that to emerge from a place like Fishman Island is quite troublesome.
But it seems he doesn't intend to fight us to the death, which is a good thing. If he's willing to cooperate with us, the checkpoint at Fishman Island could play an even greater role.
As expected of Boss's foresight."
This situation at Fishman Island was primarily targeting pirates and the Underworld. Legally speaking, as a legitimate affiliated nation, whatever actions it took against such groups were entirely justified.
More importantly, from a military standpoint, the World Government had no good way to deal with Fishman Island. The cost of doing so would far exceed the current situation.
Although a Marine Fleet Admiral had died and some matters had been overlooked, over these three years, the losses of the Marines and the World Government had actually decreased significantly.
As those who had followed Imu the longest, the five of them immediately began praising Imu. If considering only economic factors, Nusjuro even hoped Nereus's sea blockade would last longer.
The Five Elders didn't care much about this, but the Underworld merchants were starting to struggle.
"Boss, this won't work. If our goods go through the Red Line, the taxes have doubled, and we still have to pay off those officials… layer upon layer of deductions, this business can only break even.
And some goods can't go through the Red Line at all. They're prohibited by the World Government. If this keeps up…"
In the Underworld, a mid-level boss listened to his subordinate's report. The room seemed to be filled with quite a few people, and the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts and cigars, leaving the entire room shrouded in smoke.
"Where's that Umit? Isn't he the one closest to that Nereus?"
"His ships can't pass through Fishman Island either… but it seems he got the news in advance. Lately, he's only been doing business within half the seas."
Umit still received some special treatment. Although he was also forbidden from passing through, having received the news in advance at least allowed him to respond more calmly.
"No, we can't keep dragging this out. You all know that guy is a madman. If this continues, we'll all go bankrupt!
Before that happens, we have to do something! We can't just hand over all the money we've earned to Giberson!"
The Concealer - Giberson, Warehouse Kingpin. Umit handled transportation, while Giberson provided storage for goods, with hidden warehouses all over the world.
Now that trade routes were blocked, a large amount of goods had piled up in warehouses, allowing Giberson to make a fortune from the situation.
"What, are you planning to take the lead in going against Nereus?"
"Of course not! Who could beat him! That Hardinge, if we just kill him, won't all of this be over?"
Hearing this, the one who had suggested taking action was immediately startled. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Leading the charge against Nereus at a time like this would probably leave nothing but ashes. He quickly clarified his intention.
"All of you have some influence in the New World. If we work together, can't we take down just one guy from the North Blue?
I'll put up 50 million Berries as a bounty for him. Whoever can claim the 100 million from Nereus will get this 50 million too!"
"That plan's not bad. I'll also put up 50 million. If it's done within a week, I'll increase it to 100 million."
With the trade route through Fishman Island disrupted, their losses weren't just tens of millions of Berries. They could still endure it for now, but if it dragged on, they wouldn't be able to hold out.
The total number of Underworld figures was impossible to estimate, but they represented the dark side of the entire world. Pooling their resources together, they forcibly raised an additional bounty of 1 billion Berries, causing Hardinge's worth to increase twentyfold in just a single month.
Compared to fighting Nereus in the deep sea, this approach clearly came at a much lower cost and had a higher chance of success.
For them, this was an easy choice. Catching a rat running around was obviously much easier than battling a mosasaur in the deep sea.
On the 24th day of the sea ban, among the pirate crews gathered at the Sabaody Archipelago, five crews decided to join forces and forcibly break through Fishman Island.
Six hours later, intact bubble coatings floated back to the surface, carrying wrecked ships and the corpses of pirates.
Among those five pirate crews, three were Super Rookies of this year. The brutal reality forced the remaining pirates to face the truth, and they turned to searching for clues about Hardinge instead.
Even pirates who had yet to reach the Sabaody Archipelago joined in as the news spread.
At this point, they all understood one thing. If Hardinge didn't die, no one would be getting through.
On the New World side, the pirates who had been operating there for a long time understood Nereus's terror far better and did not attempt to force their way through.
"Big sister, can you really not let us through? You know this has nothing to do with us. We need the fruit from Cantaloupe Island in Paradise to make fruit cake… otherwise, Mama…"
Underwater, a ship that looked like it came straight out of a fairy tale was docked there. At the bow, Perospero's tone even carried a hint of pleading.
Perospero didn't dare imagine—if they failed to bring back what they needed and Charlotte Linlin couldn't eat what she wanted, once her eating disorder acted up, how would they deal with it?
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